[howard_the_duck]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Terrible idea. Though I also think the NBA has a big problem with tanking that is really hurting the game.

I continue to support the Gold Plan:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Plan_(sports)

I think some version of this with an arbitrary cutoff for playoff contention could work. Not a top 22 team by March 18th (for example), you're in a tournament where the winner gets the top pick.

Yes, with the NHL's parity you won't have teams out of the playoff race until late March/April. But if you draw a line in the sand and set a date, the bottom 6-8 teams are eliminated from playoff contention and then suddenly have something to play for when otherwise they didn't.